Transformed Prayer

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES:

Matthew 6: 5-13 & Luke 18:9-14

INTRODUCTION:

Prayer brings transformation but Prayer with transformation is effective as the Bible Say. A transformed person can pray and bring transformation to a community / state / country. Today I want to encourage you to be transformed in the presence of God and Transform the world around you. You can be the agent of transformation or spent your life idol as mere Christian.

THE PASSAGES

Matthew 6: 5-13 (NASB),⁵ “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.⁷ “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹ “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

Luke 18:9-14 (NASB), ⁹ And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 5-7 is called as the sermon on the mountain, We have no idea how long the sermon went on or how many people were attending in exact numbers. This sermon is the longest sermon recorded in the gospel concealed of three chapters. These chapters contain highest spiritual and moral lessons for anyone who lives anywhere in the world at any time.

PRAYER: We need to have a different understanding or interpretation about prayer at this time. When we use the word “prayer” it immediately reminds of asking something to God for our need or someone’s need. Prayer is beyond that! Prayer makes us to realize we are inferior to God and we are in need of His help, it also based on the relationship. Prayer is communication based on the relationship we have with God. Old Testament understanding of God is different from the Father identified by Jesus. The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving kindness (Ps. 145:7) we see it through Jesus.

The kind of dad we have makes difference in our understanding of “God as Father.” My dad was strict in every aspects, my daughter on the other hand drags attention and demands her place as my child. In Prayer we claim our right as children of God, not always begging for mercy / things before God. My God is the owner of the universe I being His child must claim everything my father possesses.

TRANSFORMATION: it is explained as “Remarkable change in form, nature or appearance. For example sugar turns into cotton candy – worm turns into butterfly. These are examples for transformation – a change in nature/appearance or essence.

Transformation in Christian understanding in “Inner change” or “change of heart.” Paul identified this as “New Creation in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17). Even though the Old Testament had this idea of inner transformation, the New Testament emphasizes it further.

Ps 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

John 9:31, “We know that God does not listen to sinners”

Catholics have “Prayer for Transformation” as a part of service in most cases.

“PRAYER TRANSFORMS US BUT GOD WANTS A TRANSFORMED PRAYER.”

The passages identify contrast in the mindset of prayer. The first is the prayer of a hypocrite and the second part identifies the prayer of a righteous (Transformed person).

1.       PRAYER OF A HYPOCRITE (MAT 6:5-8)

In both these cases Jesus identify the “Pharisees” who by themselves called as righteous people but there was no inner transformation so that Jesus called them “The hypocrites.” Outside looks pretty good but the inside is full of dirt and deceit. Jesus expects the contrary in prayer – no matter how you look outside Jesus expects purity in the heart. The hypocritical prayer is self centered which has following aspects…

a.      Expectation to pray in the public (either temple or street)

b.      Wanted to get public attention

c.       Wanted to show polished long prayer & Repetitions.

All the above were good, but something essential is missing that is “GOD” we see the similar case when Pharisee prayed in the synagogue (Luke 18:10ff)

2.       PRAYER OF A TRANSFORMED (RIGHTEOUS) PERSON (MAT 6:9-13)

This prayer has the intention to exalt God and humble selfishness. This prayer doesn’t boast – gives importance to the inner man. I see the following nature as Jesus taught the prayer to the disciples,

a.       Exalts God (Hallowed by thy name)

b.      Expects His Kingdom (Thy Kingdom Come)

c.       Content in God’s Provision (Give us the daily bread)

d.      Extends Forgiveness (Forgive us – we forgive others)

e.      Expels Temptations (Deliver us from Evil One)

The prayer of the tax collector was similar to the second prayer, which Jesus approved at the end of the passage. God wants to hear a transformed prayer to change the world.

CONCLUSION:

We are all the agents of transformation to the areas we placed – Matt 5:13-16, “There is no use of Salt and light if they don’t serve the purpose for which we use them.”

A transformed person can transform the world – If there is no inner transformation in us, we cannot expect transformation outside through us. Only a tuned guitar tunes other, an un-tuned guitar can never help us tune a guitar so also the transformation serves in transforming others.

The experience in “Bulb Factory” a raw material goes through a transforming process, once it goes through that – it lights up the world and the shape never changes again.

David wanted to have this transformation as he sinned against the Lord so that he prays to the Lord, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!” (Psalm 51: 10). You can pray to the Lord to transform right now to be the agent of transformation to your community. May God enable to achieve it as you go through the transforming process. Amen!